


The last night, the first night

by tsukinotsurugi (forgetfulAmoeba)



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Other, Tea, canonverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-07-30 16:29:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20100193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forgetfulAmoeba/pseuds/tsukinotsurugi
Summary: The night before and after the return to Shiganshina.





	The last night, the first night

The kids are done talking. It was time to slip quietly away before he is spotted. He makes his way back to the kitchens to return his mug first before heading towards his quarters. As he pads up the stairs, he wonders if he should have a word with Erwin before making his final checks and settling down for the night. But, he is still frustrated by events earlier and in no real mood. He doesn't know what he would say anyway.  
But apparently Erwin thought differently. He must have been lying in wait, for though Levi makes barely any noise going past his door, Erwin is there in a shot. "Tea, Levi?" His initial thought was to refuse, but, this is the last night after all. He accepts with a grunt.

Their movements are automatic as they've done this a thousand times. Levi makes the tea while Erwin sets the teacups out on the table. Levi pours. They take their places.

They sit in silence. It is not an unpleasant silence. There's nothing more to talk about on that front anyway. Erwin is going to go. Levi has done his best to dissuade him.  
Does he still think he's wrong to do so? Probably.  
Does he trust his judgement? He does.  
They're both stubborn twats and neither are going to change their minds.  
But, it's not going to come between them. The silent apology is accepted and Erwin twists the handle of his cup with a wry quirk of his lips and a twinkle in his eye.

The conversation, when it happens, turns to small talk and logistics. Levi mentions the fight he broke up when he went down and Erwin laughs and comments that hopefully he hadn't been too hard on them.

They clear the table and Levi excuses himself to see to a few things before retiring, and a couple more that have come up in their discussion. Erwin too still has paperwork he wants to deal with before he calls it a night. He sees him to the door.

"Goodnight Levi."  
"Don't take too long now, old man."

·~·~·~·

They sit in silence. The tea gets cold. It had been a mad day of dealing with the bustle of their homecoming, the apparent success of their mission coupled with the shock of their heavy losses causing an uproar in every quarter, and it should have been a relief to finally have a moment to themselves to sit down and take a breather. But it isn't.

The silence is deafening, heavier with the fact that a barracks for hundreds now holds only nine. It had been comforting to go through the motions of preparing the tea, but now that they are seated, that scant comfort evaporates and only a harsh reality remains.

Hange reaches a hand out to clasp Levi on the wrist briefly, but there is no consolation to be found in that gesture for either of them. The hurt ran too deep for that.

"I don't blame you."

Levi stays wrapped up in stony silence. For humanity, for the end of suffering, turns out when push came to shove it was he who was unable to make the hard choice.

Erwin had seen the light.  
But Levi is still a stubborn twat.

He sighs. "I made the choice for him."

Hange nods. There was nothing to add to that. 

Finally they get up and clear the table, pouring the undrunk tea out. It was time to move on, to their respective duties, the captain and the new commander.

**Author's Note:**

> Inspiration drawn from the [Erwin and Levi clonoids display](https://image.news.livedoor.com/newsimage/stf/a/e/ae3c7_1604_85aadbf86a226da83c00625936a71423.jpg) at Universal Studio Japan 2019 and also WIT STUDIO's [teatime illustration](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D8NZd-dUYAAV-uS.jpg).


End file.
